So when one survives 50 years, feeding a town of notoriously scrupulous diners, it's time to take notice.

The Gondolier on Pearl's homemade Italian cuisine has not only lasted for five decades in Boulder, it has done so continuously under the Kugel family.

Gary Kugel began the Gondolier with his army buddy Victor in 1960. The restaurant's recipes of fresh pasta, lasagna and minestrone came courtesy of Victor's Italian aunt, and the pair set up shop at 1600 Broadway, where Khow Thai is today.

A spaghetti dinner with meatball or sausage, salad, an antipasti, cup of minestrone soup, bread and a drink cost just $1.50.

With business booming, Gary and his wife, Jan, moved the Gondolier to a new location at 28th St. and Valmont Road in 1980. The move tripled the size of the restaurant to 7,000 square feet, but the business fell on hard times, along with the economy.

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"The new restaurant was kind of on the outside of town, and they struggled to get people to drive out there," recalls Nelson Kugel, who took over the Gondolier from his parents in 2001. "So they came up with an all-you-can-eat spaghetti special for $1.99 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays."

The deal turned the Gondolier into a Boulder institution, bringing in hungry families, college kids and high school sports teams by the busloads.

Nelson Kugel began working for his parents at the Gondolier when he was 12 years old, bussing tables and cleaning up. He eventually worked his way up to being a server and then head chef in 1994, after graduating from the Western Culinary Institute in Portland.

When the younger Kugel took the reigns of the Gondolier in 2001, he moved the restaurant to 18th and Pearl streets, and eventually to its current location at 1600 Pearl St. in 2007.

"They didn't want me to go into the restaurant business," Nelson said. "It was a difficult business then, and it's even more a difficult business now. But I'm stubborn. I grew up with the business. It's in my blood."

Today, it's the father working for his son. Gary still prepares the Gondolier's desserts of homemade cheesecakes, tiramisus and hazelnut mousse tortes.

Nelson said the challenge is to stick by the restaurant's traditions. The Gondolier's kitchen staff, some of which have been with the restaurant for 25 years, still cranks out 200 to 300 pounds of homemade pasta a day on the same machine his father used 50 years ago. Plus the restaurant has had to keep up to date with Boulder's changing tastes -- expanding the menu, adding tapas and seafood, and offering new gluten-free pasta and pizza options.

And then there's the competition. Recently, newcomers to Boulder's restaurant scene such as Frasca have gained national accolades for their high-end Italian cuisine.

While a big bowl of homemade pasta and fresh sauce may not be as trendy today, Nelson said the restaurant has survived with long-time local customers who appreciate value.

"We position ourselves as affordable to families with meals in the $6.95 to $15 range," Nelson said. "Because that's our history, and we want people to come back often."

Sandra and Richard Capano, who split their time between Boulder and California, recently re-visited the Gondolier for a date night in September. They used to frequent the former location on 28th Street and Valmont Road, and said they were pleasantly surprised to re-discover the restaurant.

"The ambiance was very attractive -- it was contemporary, but warm," Sandra Capano said. "The service was excellent -- everyone was so pleasant -- and the food was delicious. We were very pleased to find the same delicious food we remembered all those years back."

The Gondolier is open Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 9 p.m. Its happy hours are from 2 to 6 p.m. every day.

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